Before trying the cues, a reminder that the transverse abdominis is your deepest abdominal muscle. It helps with forced expiration and spinal stability. However, despite outlandish claims, it is not a magic corset. Indeed, isometrically contracting the TvA moves the rectus muscles farther apart bellow the belly button. This doesn’t mean don’t contract it. After all, the TvA is an essential stabilizer. But, don’t overdo it. You can feel a proper TvA contraction as tension in your lower abdomen. The movement is subtle, so you shouldn’t see a huge inward pull of the abdomen when isolating the TvA.

You can perform these exercises supine (on your back), sitting, standing, or even on all fours.

The Cues

1. Rope Climb[1]
Imagine a rope traveling through your pelvic floor up to the top of your pubis (where a low cut bikini bottom might hit). In a bizarre version of gym class, now imagine a tiny person climbing this rope. You should feel tension coming from your inner thighs, up through your pelvic floor, and into your lower abdomen.

2. Hip Wire[2]
Imagine a wire connecting your hip bones. Now imagine the two sides of the wire trying to reach each other in the middle of your body. Picture the pelvic floor jumping to this meeting place.

3. The Novel[3]
This is my favorite cue, perhaps a result of my English background. Your pelvis is an open book (For some reason I always imagine the novel as Little Women. I have no idea why). The hip bones are the ends of the covers. Pretend like you are simultaneously closing both covers.

4. The Accordion
Your hips are the two ends of an accordion. Make beautiful polka music and squeeze the accordion. Remember, the pelvic floor wants to be included in your melody.

5. Snake Charmer[4]
Make a “Ssssssss” sound while lifting your pelvic floor and drawing in your belly ever so slowly. Feel the slithering and tightening in your lower abdomen.

The “Ssssss” approach is adapted from trainer Jenny Burell of Burell Education. ↩

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First NameE-Mail Address

Hi. I’m Meredith.

Pregnancy and childbirth crushed my body like a wrecking ball... three times in a row. I've been putting the pieces back together ever since and started Motherfigure to help with the reconstruction.

But I’m no life coach. I’m a mom who delights in compulsive reading and research, who adores “experts” but also questions them, and who thinks maternal bodies occupy a strange space in our culture, in our history, and in our minds.

Oh, and despite that grandiose introduction, I prefer funny over saccharine, with the exception of my chocolate. I like that humorless and sweet.

Comments

Hi, Meredith! You left a comment on my blog and I have some questions for you regarding your cystocele. I have been told surgery within the next decade are my best options. Physical therapy kept it from worsening but not improving. Any advice is welcome?! Did you have surgery to repair it?

Wow this is so good. After going to a PT and learning how to actually engage my TVA, I’m pretty angry at all the online tips and programs that say pull belly into spine. I was using my external obliques the whole time! Wish I would have seen this earlier 🙂 Pinned for future reference.

Yeah, similar experience here. Forcefully pulling belly to spine also made me overwork my external obliques. I got a video from the Women’s Health Foundation that talked about slight tension in the lower abs as the telltale sign of TvA isolation. That was an eye opener (and my physical therapist agreed).

Just saw this. I had some trouble finding where I got the video. They redid their website. I got it from http://www.totalcontrolprogram.com. Frankly, it’s pretty cheesy and not particularly exciting, but it gave me some exercise ideas. More focused on pelvic floor stuff though.